For writers and actors on strike, producers rank high among unlikely Hollywood allies. After all, the AMPTP is the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, with “producers” becoming a natural shorthand for the many studios, conglomerates, and publicly traded companies now playing hardball.
Indie producers, who would like you to know that is not the case, are now fighting to change what they believe is a narrative mastered by the AMPTP. If producers were to unionize, it would cost AMPTP members millions in healthcare, pension, and residuals. Producer Brent Emery (“The Stanford Prison Experiment”) believes the AMPTP undercuts the producers’ efforts by confusing the public — i.e., the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers sounds like it includes, well, all producers. So how could there be the need for a producers’ union?
“We’re from cradle to grave on these projects,” Emery told IndieWire. “These aren’t studio films,...
Indie producers, who would like you to know that is not the case, are now fighting to change what they believe is a narrative mastered by the AMPTP. If producers were to unionize, it would cost AMPTP members millions in healthcare, pension, and residuals. Producer Brent Emery (“The Stanford Prison Experiment”) believes the AMPTP undercuts the producers’ efforts by confusing the public — i.e., the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers sounds like it includes, well, all producers. So how could there be the need for a producers’ union?
“We’re from cradle to grave on these projects,” Emery told IndieWire. “These aren’t studio films,...
- 8/11/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Two Distant Strangers directors Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe won their first Oscar for Best Live-Action Short tonight at the 93rd Academy Awards.
In his acceptance speech, Free exclaimed that “God is good,” before launching into a statement on policing in America. “Today, the police will kill three people, and tomorrow, the police will kill three people—and the day after that, police will kill three people,” he said, “because on average, the police in America everyday kill three people, which amounts to about 1,000 people per year.”
Noting that “those people happen to disproportionately be Black people,” he then went on to reference iconic writer James Baldwin, who once said, “The most despicable thing a person can be is indifferent to other peoples’ pain.”
“So, I just ask that you please not be indifferent,” Free pleaded, in closing. “Please don’t be indifferent to our pain.”
Roe followed this...
In his acceptance speech, Free exclaimed that “God is good,” before launching into a statement on policing in America. “Today, the police will kill three people, and tomorrow, the police will kill three people—and the day after that, police will kill three people,” he said, “because on average, the police in America everyday kill three people, which amounts to about 1,000 people per year.”
Noting that “those people happen to disproportionately be Black people,” he then went on to reference iconic writer James Baldwin, who once said, “The most despicable thing a person can be is indifferent to other peoples’ pain.”
“So, I just ask that you please not be indifferent,” Free pleaded, in closing. “Please don’t be indifferent to our pain.”
Roe followed this...
- 4/26/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The current odds in our predictions center indicate that “The Letter Room” is out front to win this year’s Oscar for Best Live Action Short. These odds are calculated based on the forecasts made by our Expert film journalists, Gold Derby Editors, Top 24 Users and the thousands of regular Gold Derby readers making their predictions.
But is there a chance that one of the other nominees could upset this frontrunner? Let’s examine all five of this year’s nominees, in order by their current Gold Derby odds.
“The Letter Room” (odds of winning: 71/20)
Richard (Oscar Isaac) is a correctional officer who is transferred to a new position in the prison’s mail room. As he scans letters for prohibited content, he finds himself becoming drawn to the letters a death row prisoner receives from his girlfriend that are never replied to.
This marks the first Oscar nomination for Elvira Lind and Sofia Sondervan.
But is there a chance that one of the other nominees could upset this frontrunner? Let’s examine all five of this year’s nominees, in order by their current Gold Derby odds.
“The Letter Room” (odds of winning: 71/20)
Richard (Oscar Isaac) is a correctional officer who is transferred to a new position in the prison’s mail room. As he scans letters for prohibited content, he finds himself becoming drawn to the letters a death row prisoner receives from his girlfriend that are never replied to.
This marks the first Oscar nomination for Elvira Lind and Sofia Sondervan.
- 4/22/2021
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Some 70 women representing a record total of 76 overall nominations have been nominated for Oscars this year, a very encouraging statistic for the Academy and the industry.
In honor of this, Academy Museum trustee Diane von Furstenberg and the Academy Museum have released a video (click the link above to watch) celebrating the women nominees of the 93rd Oscars. In a year that posed exceptional challenges to filmmaking, it is especially important to uphold the tradition launched seven years ago to honor talented women filmmakers who continue to break glass ceilings in the entertainment industry.
This year’s women nominees were asked to submit short videos or statements about their film and/or creative process. Cohost von Furstenberg, designer; Jacqueline Stewart, chief artistic and programming officer, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Cynthia Erivo, actor, singer, and producer, and Dawn Hudson, CEO, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, present a video...
In honor of this, Academy Museum trustee Diane von Furstenberg and the Academy Museum have released a video (click the link above to watch) celebrating the women nominees of the 93rd Oscars. In a year that posed exceptional challenges to filmmaking, it is especially important to uphold the tradition launched seven years ago to honor talented women filmmakers who continue to break glass ceilings in the entertainment industry.
This year’s women nominees were asked to submit short videos or statements about their film and/or creative process. Cohost von Furstenberg, designer; Jacqueline Stewart, chief artistic and programming officer, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Cynthia Erivo, actor, singer, and producer, and Dawn Hudson, CEO, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, present a video...
- 4/22/2021
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Denmark-born, New York-based director is nomated for short ’The Letter Room’, starring Oscar Isaac.
Danish filmmaker Elvira Lind, who is Oscar nominated for her short The Letter Room, is now readying her debut fiction feature to shoot later this year in New York.
The Denmark-born, New York-based director is collaborating with playwright Amy Herzog on the film. It will be produced by Sofia Sondervan, who also produced The Letter Room and whose credits include Cadillac Records and The Man Who Knew Infinity.
Details about the feature are under wraps but Lind told Screen it is inspired by elements from one...
Danish filmmaker Elvira Lind, who is Oscar nominated for her short The Letter Room, is now readying her debut fiction feature to shoot later this year in New York.
The Denmark-born, New York-based director is collaborating with playwright Amy Herzog on the film. It will be produced by Sofia Sondervan, who also produced The Letter Room and whose credits include Cadillac Records and The Man Who Knew Infinity.
Details about the feature are under wraps but Lind told Screen it is inspired by elements from one...
- 4/14/2021
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Following its Oscar nomination, Elvira Lind’s short film The Letter Room has been racking up the sales. The movie, which stars Oscar Isaac and Alia Shawkat, has sold to France and Germany (Arte France), Spain (Telefonica), Denmark (TV2), Russia (Shot TV), Poland (New Europe Film Sales), Airlines (JetBlue) as well as an international deal with Kanopy for the educational circuit. Paris and Berlin based Salaud Morisset is handling sales and struck the deals. Pic is currently screening in U.S. theaters through ShortsTV and is also streaming via First Look Media’s new VOD service Topic.
This is the first project from married couple Isaac and Lind’s multimedia production company Mad Gene Media. The Letter Room follows an empathetic corrections officer (Oscar Isaac) who finds escape in the deeply personal letters written to an inmate on death row. It played at fests including Telluride and Palm Springs International.
This is the first project from married couple Isaac and Lind’s multimedia production company Mad Gene Media. The Letter Room follows an empathetic corrections officer (Oscar Isaac) who finds escape in the deeply personal letters written to an inmate on death row. It played at fests including Telluride and Palm Springs International.
- 4/13/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The Oscar-nominated live action shorts come from filmmakers based in the U.S., U.K, and the Mideast. They all center on the human desire to be seen as people.
Feeling Through
Doug Roland and Susan Ruzenski
Roland’s entry into the deaf-blind community came through a chance meeting about 10 years ago with a man holding up a sign asking for help to cross the street late one night in New York City. He was so struck by the encounter that he wrote the script for “Feeling Through” and completed it in 2019 with the help of the Helen Keller National Center and its now CEO, Ruzenski, who is nominated with him. Authenticity matters to Roland, so he cast Robert Tarango, whom he discovered working in the cafeteria at the Hknc. “I’m really happy that there is some strong disability representation this year,” he says, referencing his fellow nominees like “Sound of Metal.
Feeling Through
Doug Roland and Susan Ruzenski
Roland’s entry into the deaf-blind community came through a chance meeting about 10 years ago with a man holding up a sign asking for help to cross the street late one night in New York City. He was so struck by the encounter that he wrote the script for “Feeling Through” and completed it in 2019 with the help of the Helen Keller National Center and its now CEO, Ruzenski, who is nominated with him. Authenticity matters to Roland, so he cast Robert Tarango, whom he discovered working in the cafeteria at the Hknc. “I’m really happy that there is some strong disability representation this year,” he says, referencing his fellow nominees like “Sound of Metal.
- 4/1/2021
- by Shalini Dore
- Variety Film + TV
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective
Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season
2021 Oscars Predictions:
Best Live Action Short Film
Updated: Feb. 25, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: There seems to be a strong three films at the top Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Human Voice” (with Tilda Swinton), Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe’s “Two Distant Strangers” (with Joey...
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective
Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season
2021 Oscars Predictions:
Best Live Action Short Film
Updated: Feb. 25, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: There seems to be a strong three films at the top Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Human Voice” (with Tilda Swinton), Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe’s “Two Distant Strangers” (with Joey...
- 2/25/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Following on from Russell Crowe road-rage thriller Unhinged, filmmaker Derrick Borte is set to direct thriller Black Forest, on which LA-based Film Bridge International is launching world sales.
Written by Borte and Daniel Forte (American Dreamer), the film will alight on a group of university students backpacking through Germany’s famed Black Forest. Through inexplicable phenomena the students find themselves transported back in time to The Middle Ages. Separated and hunted by local villagers, the students find themselves targets in a Medieval-style witch hunt.
Pic will be produced by Sofia Sondervan-Bild of Dutch Tilt Film and Scott F. Lochmus of Storyland Pictures in association with James Gibb of Balkanic Media. Ellen Wander and Jordan Dykstra of Film Bridge International will executive produce and handle world sales.
New York producer Sondervan-Bild’s credits include Cadillac Records, London Town and The Man Who Knew Infinity. Scott Lochmus runs Storyland...
Written by Borte and Daniel Forte (American Dreamer), the film will alight on a group of university students backpacking through Germany’s famed Black Forest. Through inexplicable phenomena the students find themselves transported back in time to The Middle Ages. Separated and hunted by local villagers, the students find themselves targets in a Medieval-style witch hunt.
Pic will be produced by Sofia Sondervan-Bild of Dutch Tilt Film and Scott F. Lochmus of Storyland Pictures in association with James Gibb of Balkanic Media. Ellen Wander and Jordan Dykstra of Film Bridge International will executive produce and handle world sales.
New York producer Sondervan-Bild’s credits include Cadillac Records, London Town and The Man Who Knew Infinity. Scott Lochmus runs Storyland...
- 9/15/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Here’s a first look at Jonathan Rhys Meyers as The Clash’s Joe Strummer in director Derrick Borte’s London Town.
In 1970s London, a 14 year old boy is introduced to The Clash by his estranged mother and it changes his life forever.
Strummer died suddenly at age 50 on December 22, 2002 in his home at Broomfield in Somerset, England, from an undiagnosed congenital heart defect. Rolling Stone voted London Calling, the Clash’s classic 1980 album (released in 1979 in the UK) as the best album of the Eighties. Their 1982 song Should I Stay Or Should I Go was their biggest Us hit.
The coming-of-age drama is written by Kirsten Sheridan, Sonya Gildea and Matt Brown (director of The Man Who Knew Infinity) and produced by Tom Butterfield, Sofia Sondervan and Christine Vachon.
Daniel Huttlestone (Into The Woods) also stars.
Radiant Films International and Cargo Entertainment are handling foreign rights to the...
In 1970s London, a 14 year old boy is introduced to The Clash by his estranged mother and it changes his life forever.
Strummer died suddenly at age 50 on December 22, 2002 in his home at Broomfield in Somerset, England, from an undiagnosed congenital heart defect. Rolling Stone voted London Calling, the Clash’s classic 1980 album (released in 1979 in the UK) as the best album of the Eighties. Their 1982 song Should I Stay Or Should I Go was their biggest Us hit.
The coming-of-age drama is written by Kirsten Sheridan, Sonya Gildea and Matt Brown (director of The Man Who Knew Infinity) and produced by Tom Butterfield, Sofia Sondervan and Christine Vachon.
Daniel Huttlestone (Into The Woods) also stars.
Radiant Films International and Cargo Entertainment are handling foreign rights to the...
- 11/6/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Jeremy Irons and Dev Patel star in the recent Toronto world premiere about the Indian maths genius Srinivasa Ramanujan.
Matthew Brown directed The Man Who Knew Infinity from his adaptation of Robert Kanigel’s biography The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life Of The Genius Ramanujan.
Click here for Screen’s interview with Dev Patel
Click here for Screen’s interview with Jeremy Irons
The film takes place in the run-up to Wwi and charts the friendship between Cambridge don Gh Hardy and the young Indian prodigy.
Hardy, himself a renowned academic, was initially cagey but nonetheless intrigued when he received a letter of self-commendation from Ramanujan.
He brought the youngster under his tutelage at Cambridge and helped the school drop-out become India’s first Cambridge fellow. Ramanujan’s work continues to play an important role in string theory and research into black holes.
IFC Films negotiated for North American rights with CAA. Mister Smith handles...
Matthew Brown directed The Man Who Knew Infinity from his adaptation of Robert Kanigel’s biography The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life Of The Genius Ramanujan.
Click here for Screen’s interview with Dev Patel
Click here for Screen’s interview with Jeremy Irons
The film takes place in the run-up to Wwi and charts the friendship between Cambridge don Gh Hardy and the young Indian prodigy.
Hardy, himself a renowned academic, was initially cagey but nonetheless intrigued when he received a letter of self-commendation from Ramanujan.
He brought the youngster under his tutelage at Cambridge and helped the school drop-out become India’s first Cambridge fellow. Ramanujan’s work continues to play an important role in string theory and research into black holes.
IFC Films negotiated for North American rights with CAA. Mister Smith handles...
- 10/14/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Cargo Entertainment/Radiant Films International are handling international sales here via their new partnership on London Town starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Joe Strummer.
Radiant president and CEO Mimi Steinbauer is showing first footage to buyers at London House on the 1970s-set story of a teenager whose life is changed forever when he first hears The Clash.
ICM Partners and CAA represent North American rights to the film, which is in post and also stars Daniel Huttlestone, Dougray Scott, Natascha McElhone and Tom Hughes.
Kirsten Sheridan co-wrote the screenplay with Sonya Gildea and Matt Brown, whose The Man Who Knew Infinity premieres in Toronto.
Derrick Borte directs London Town, while Sofia Sondervan of Dutch Tilt Film produces alongside Christine Vachon of Killer Films and Tom Butterfield of Culmination Productions in association with WeatherVane Productions.
London Town producers have also secured rights to The Clash songs including White Riot, (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais and Clampdown.
Steinbauer...
Radiant president and CEO Mimi Steinbauer is showing first footage to buyers at London House on the 1970s-set story of a teenager whose life is changed forever when he first hears The Clash.
ICM Partners and CAA represent North American rights to the film, which is in post and also stars Daniel Huttlestone, Dougray Scott, Natascha McElhone and Tom Hughes.
Kirsten Sheridan co-wrote the screenplay with Sonya Gildea and Matt Brown, whose The Man Who Knew Infinity premieres in Toronto.
Derrick Borte directs London Town, while Sofia Sondervan of Dutch Tilt Film produces alongside Christine Vachon of Killer Films and Tom Butterfield of Culmination Productions in association with WeatherVane Productions.
London Town producers have also secured rights to The Clash songs including White Riot, (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais and Clampdown.
Steinbauer...
- 9/14/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Maths genius biopic stars Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons.
The 11th Zurich Film Festival (Sept 24-Oct 4) is to open with the European premiere of The Man Who Knew Infinity, following its world premiere in Toronto next month.
Matthew Brown directs the film from a screenplay he adapted from Robert Kanigel’s novel The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan.
The drama stars Jeremy Irons, Dev Patel, Stephen Fry and Devika Bhise, who will present the film in Zurich alongside Brown and producer Edward R. Pressman.
Set in 1913, The Man Who Knew Infinity tells the true story of Srinivasa Ramanujan (Patel), a self-taught mathematics genius from India, who leaves behind his young bride, Janaki (Bhise), to travel across the world to Cambridge where he forges a bond with his mentor and eccentric professor G.H. Hardy (Irons), and becomes a pioneer in mathematical theories.
The film is an Edward R. Pressman/Animus Films Production...
The 11th Zurich Film Festival (Sept 24-Oct 4) is to open with the European premiere of The Man Who Knew Infinity, following its world premiere in Toronto next month.
Matthew Brown directs the film from a screenplay he adapted from Robert Kanigel’s novel The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan.
The drama stars Jeremy Irons, Dev Patel, Stephen Fry and Devika Bhise, who will present the film in Zurich alongside Brown and producer Edward R. Pressman.
Set in 1913, The Man Who Knew Infinity tells the true story of Srinivasa Ramanujan (Patel), a self-taught mathematics genius from India, who leaves behind his young bride, Janaki (Bhise), to travel across the world to Cambridge where he forges a bond with his mentor and eccentric professor G.H. Hardy (Irons), and becomes a pioneer in mathematical theories.
The film is an Edward R. Pressman/Animus Films Production...
- 8/25/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Shoot underway in London on drama featuring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as frontman for The Clash, Joe Strummer.
Production is underway in the UK on London Town, the Dutch Tilt Film and Culmination Productions drama starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Match Point), Daniel Huttlestone (Into the Woods), Dougray Scott (Hitman) and Natascha McElhone (Californication).
Set in 1970’s London, the film charts the story of a 14-year-old boy whose life is changed forever after he is introduced to rock band The Clash by his estranged mother.
The Tudors star Rhys Meyers plays the late punk great and Clash frontman Joe Strummer while the production has secured rights to a number of the band’s songs.
The film is written by Kirsten Sheridan, Sonya Gildea and Matthew Brown and directed by Derrick Borte with Hubert Taczanowski serving as director of photography.
Producers are Sofia Sondervan of Dutch Tilt Film, Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and Tom Butterfield of Culmination Productions in association...
Production is underway in the UK on London Town, the Dutch Tilt Film and Culmination Productions drama starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Match Point), Daniel Huttlestone (Into the Woods), Dougray Scott (Hitman) and Natascha McElhone (Californication).
Set in 1970’s London, the film charts the story of a 14-year-old boy whose life is changed forever after he is introduced to rock band The Clash by his estranged mother.
The Tudors star Rhys Meyers plays the late punk great and Clash frontman Joe Strummer while the production has secured rights to a number of the band’s songs.
The film is written by Kirsten Sheridan, Sonya Gildea and Matthew Brown and directed by Derrick Borte with Hubert Taczanowski serving as director of photography.
Producers are Sofia Sondervan of Dutch Tilt Film, Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and Tom Butterfield of Culmination Productions in association...
- 7/8/2015
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Shoot underway in London on drama in which Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays Joe Strummer; Christine Vachon among producers
Production is underway in the UK on London Town, the Dutch Tilt Film and Culmination Productions drama starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Match Point), Daniel Huttlestone (Into the Woods), Dougray Scott (Hitman) and Natascha McElhone (Californication).
Set in 70’s London, the film charts the story of a 14-year-old boy whose life is changed forever after he is introduced to the Clash by his estranged mother.
Tudors star Rhys Meyers plays the late punk great and Clash frontman Joe Strummer while the production has secured rights to a number of the band’s hits.
The film is written by Kirsten Sheridan, Sonya Gildea and Matthew Brown and directed by Derrick Borte with Hubert Taczanowski serving as director of photography.
Producers are Sofia Sondervan of Dutch Tilt Film, Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and Tom Butterfield of Culmination Productions in association with WeatherVane...
Production is underway in the UK on London Town, the Dutch Tilt Film and Culmination Productions drama starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Match Point), Daniel Huttlestone (Into the Woods), Dougray Scott (Hitman) and Natascha McElhone (Californication).
Set in 70’s London, the film charts the story of a 14-year-old boy whose life is changed forever after he is introduced to the Clash by his estranged mother.
Tudors star Rhys Meyers plays the late punk great and Clash frontman Joe Strummer while the production has secured rights to a number of the band’s hits.
The film is written by Kirsten Sheridan, Sonya Gildea and Matthew Brown and directed by Derrick Borte with Hubert Taczanowski serving as director of photography.
Producers are Sofia Sondervan of Dutch Tilt Film, Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and Tom Butterfield of Culmination Productions in association with WeatherVane...
- 7/8/2015
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Mister Smith inks deals on drama starring Patel and Jeremy Irons.
Mister Smith Entertainment has all-but sold out on biopic The Man Who Knew Infinity.
Deals to have completed at the recent Afm include Germany and Spain (Wild Bunch), Australia (Icon Australia), Scandinavia (Sf), Latin America (Sun) and Japan (Kadokawa).
Dev Patel stars as maths genius Srinivasa Ramanujan alongside Jeremy Irons who plays the prodigy’s mentor G.H.Hardy.
Co-starring are Devika Bhise, Toby Jones and Stephen Fry.
Matthew Brown directs and wrote the script, which is based on the biography The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan by Robert Kanigel.
“We’re delighted with the response,” Mister Smith CEO David Garrett told ScreenDaily. “We launched the film at the Afm and have sold out worldwide other than three territories.
“The combination of script, cast, footage and proper pricing really hit home with buyers.”
The film is...
Mister Smith Entertainment has all-but sold out on biopic The Man Who Knew Infinity.
Deals to have completed at the recent Afm include Germany and Spain (Wild Bunch), Australia (Icon Australia), Scandinavia (Sf), Latin America (Sun) and Japan (Kadokawa).
Dev Patel stars as maths genius Srinivasa Ramanujan alongside Jeremy Irons who plays the prodigy’s mentor G.H.Hardy.
Co-starring are Devika Bhise, Toby Jones and Stephen Fry.
Matthew Brown directs and wrote the script, which is based on the biography The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan by Robert Kanigel.
“We’re delighted with the response,” Mister Smith CEO David Garrett told ScreenDaily. “We launched the film at the Afm and have sold out worldwide other than three territories.
“The combination of script, cast, footage and proper pricing really hit home with buyers.”
The film is...
- 11/18/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Respected actor Jeremy Irons is set to co-star in the Edward R. Pressman/ Prashita Chaudhary’s Cinemorphic Entertainment Company production of The Man Who Knew Infinity, the biographic film on the life of Srinivasa Ramanujan with Dev Patel starring as the revered Indian mathematician. Irons will play G.H. Hardy, the English mathematician who plucked Ramanujan from obscurity in Edwardian India and installed him in the hallowed halls of Cambridge University.
The film will be directed by Matthew Brown, who also wrote the screenplay based on the biography The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan by Robert Kanigel. Edward R. Pressman and Prashita Chaudhary of Cinemorphic are producers along with Jim Young under his Animus Films banner and Sofia Sondervan of Dutch Tilt Film.
Announcing the casting, Pressman said, “I am delighted to be working with Jeremy again. Our last collaboration on Reversal of Fortune earned an Oscar for Jeremy,...
The film will be directed by Matthew Brown, who also wrote the screenplay based on the biography The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan by Robert Kanigel. Edward R. Pressman and Prashita Chaudhary of Cinemorphic are producers along with Jim Young under his Animus Films banner and Sofia Sondervan of Dutch Tilt Film.
Announcing the casting, Pressman said, “I am delighted to be working with Jeremy again. Our last collaboration on Reversal of Fortune earned an Oscar for Jeremy,...
- 12/7/2013
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
Edward R Pressman-produces biopic of mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, to be played by Dev Patel.
Jeremy Irons is to co-star alongside Dev Patel in Edward R Pressman-produced The Man Who Knew Infinity, the biopic of Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.
Irons will play G.H. Hardy, the English mathematician who brought Ramanujan from India to Cambridge University. Patel will play Ramanujan.
Irons and Pressman reunite for the first time since the pair collaborated on 1990 drama Reversal of Fortune, for which Irons won the Best Actor Oscar.
Production is aiming to shoot in 2014 on the previously announced production, which will be directed by Matthew Brown, who also wrote the screenplay based on the biography The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan by Robert Kanigel.
Edward R. Pressman and Prashita Chaudhary of Cinemorphic are producers along with Jim Young under his Animus Films banner and Sofia Sondervan of Dutch Tilt Film.
Jon Katz is on board...
Jeremy Irons is to co-star alongside Dev Patel in Edward R Pressman-produced The Man Who Knew Infinity, the biopic of Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.
Irons will play G.H. Hardy, the English mathematician who brought Ramanujan from India to Cambridge University. Patel will play Ramanujan.
Irons and Pressman reunite for the first time since the pair collaborated on 1990 drama Reversal of Fortune, for which Irons won the Best Actor Oscar.
Production is aiming to shoot in 2014 on the previously announced production, which will be directed by Matthew Brown, who also wrote the screenplay based on the biography The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan by Robert Kanigel.
Edward R. Pressman and Prashita Chaudhary of Cinemorphic are producers along with Jim Young under his Animus Films banner and Sofia Sondervan of Dutch Tilt Film.
Jon Katz is on board...
- 12/5/2013
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Marcia Cross has joined independent drama "Bringing Up Bobby" with Milla Jovovich. Famke Janssen directing from her own screenplay, the film produced by Sofia Sondervan and Janssen. Filming is set to start on July 19th. The story focuses on a European con artist and her ten-year-old son who find themselves in Oklahoma, trying to escape her past and build a better life. They charm their way from one adventure to another, but the the mother's past will catch up with her. Bill Pullman plays the husband of Cross' character.
- 7/8/2010
- Upcoming-Movies.com
After a premiere in Los Angeles late November, "Cadillac Records" brought the glam to New York. On Monday, December 1, the drama musical saw a star-studded screening event being held at AMC Loews 19th Street in the Big Apple, where stars from Beyonce Knowles to Kelly Ripa were spotted.
Though missing out on the signature red carpet, the premiere extravaganza was still attended by Knowles' co-stars, Adrien Brody, Columbus Short, Eamonn Walker, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Gabrielle Union, Mos Def, Chyna Layne and Jeffrey Wright. Producer Sofia Sondervan and director Darnell Martin also made time to come to the event.
Beside all of the film's cast and crew, celebrity guest, like Akon, Ne-Yo, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Carmen Ejogo, Mark Consuelos, Tamara Tunie and Elsa Pataky, have also been seen among the attendees. Hip hop mogul Jay-z was also spotted coming to the evening event alongside wife Knowles.
"Cadillac Records" is directed and scripted by Darnell Martin.
Though missing out on the signature red carpet, the premiere extravaganza was still attended by Knowles' co-stars, Adrien Brody, Columbus Short, Eamonn Walker, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Gabrielle Union, Mos Def, Chyna Layne and Jeffrey Wright. Producer Sofia Sondervan and director Darnell Martin also made time to come to the event.
Beside all of the film's cast and crew, celebrity guest, like Akon, Ne-Yo, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Carmen Ejogo, Mark Consuelos, Tamara Tunie and Elsa Pataky, have also been seen among the attendees. Hip hop mogul Jay-z was also spotted coming to the evening event alongside wife Knowles.
"Cadillac Records" is directed and scripted by Darnell Martin.
- 12/2/2008
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Cadillac Records is an upcoming biographical film and a musical drama written and directed by Darnell Martin. It explores the 1950s musical era, the film chronicles the life of the influential Chicago based record company executive Leonard Chess, and the singers who recorded for Chess Records.
The film stars American actors Adrien Brody as Chess, Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon, Mos Def as Chuck Berry, Columbus Short as Little Walter,Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters and Beyonce Knowles as Etta James
The film was written by film director Darnell Martin. The filming for Cadillac Records started in Feb 2008, in New Jersey and Mississippi, United States. The film was produced by Andrew Lack and Sofia Sondervan and also produced by Beyonce.
Here...
(more...)...
The film stars American actors Adrien Brody as Chess, Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon, Mos Def as Chuck Berry, Columbus Short as Little Walter,Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters and Beyonce Knowles as Etta James
The film was written by film director Darnell Martin. The filming for Cadillac Records started in Feb 2008, in New Jersey and Mississippi, United States. The film was produced by Andrew Lack and Sofia Sondervan and also produced by Beyonce.
Here...
(more...)...
- 10/26/2008
- by John
- ReelSuave.com
Rapper/actor Mos Def will play legendary rock n' roller Chuck Berry in Sony BMG's Cadillac Records, currently filming in New Jersey.
Also joining the cast of is Gabrielle Union, who plays Geneva Wade, a girlfriend of Muddy Waters.
Written and directed by Darnell Martin (Their Eyes Were Watching God), the film is set in 1950s Chicago and follows the turbulent but exciting lives of Leonard Chess, who founded Chess Records, and the label's artists, including Waters, Little Walter and Howlin' Wolf.
Chess started the label with his younger brother, Phil, started the record company by traveling the south selling records out of the trunk of their Cadillac.
The two join a cast that includes Adrien Brody (Chess), Jeffrey Wright (Waters), and Beyonce Knowles (Etta James).
Sony BMG's Andrew Lack and Sofia Sondervan are producing. Knowles is an executive producer.
Def's film credits include the comedy Be Kind Rewind and the crime thriller 16 Blocks. He was nominated for an Emmy and Golden Globe for his role in the HBO film, Something the Lord Made. His upcoming projects include Keep Coming Back, helmed by William H.
Also joining the cast of is Gabrielle Union, who plays Geneva Wade, a girlfriend of Muddy Waters.
Written and directed by Darnell Martin (Their Eyes Were Watching God), the film is set in 1950s Chicago and follows the turbulent but exciting lives of Leonard Chess, who founded Chess Records, and the label's artists, including Waters, Little Walter and Howlin' Wolf.
Chess started the label with his younger brother, Phil, started the record company by traveling the south selling records out of the trunk of their Cadillac.
The two join a cast that includes Adrien Brody (Chess), Jeffrey Wright (Waters), and Beyonce Knowles (Etta James).
Sony BMG's Andrew Lack and Sofia Sondervan are producing. Knowles is an executive producer.
Def's film credits include the comedy Be Kind Rewind and the crime thriller 16 Blocks. He was nominated for an Emmy and Golden Globe for his role in the HBO film, Something the Lord Made. His upcoming projects include Keep Coming Back, helmed by William H.
- 3/28/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Beyonce Knowles is adding "executive producer" to her resume.
The 10-time Grammy winner has signed on to executive produce and star in Darnell Martin's Cadillac Records for Sony BMG Films.
Knowles will play Etta James in the 1950s period film about the Chicago record company Chess Records; its founder, Leonard Chess; and the turbulent lives of some of the label's legends, who included Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf and Chuck Berry.
Martin (Their Eyes Were Watching God) penned the screenplay. Sony BMG's Andrew Lack and Sofia Sondervan are producing for the 3-year-old specialty label.
Knowles joins a cast that includes Adrien Brody (Chess), Jeffrey Wright (Waters), Cedric the Entertainer (Willie Dixon) and Columbus Short (Little Walter). Emmanuelle Chriqui and Tammy Blanchard co-star.
Music for the film is being produced by Steve Jordan (Cars, The Sopranos). Knowles will record four songs for the soundtrack, which will be released through Music World Entertainment and Columbia Records.
The singer-actress will donate a portion of her fees for the film to recovering addicts through her family's charity, the Survivor Foundation, according to her reps.
The 10-time Grammy winner has signed on to executive produce and star in Darnell Martin's Cadillac Records for Sony BMG Films.
Knowles will play Etta James in the 1950s period film about the Chicago record company Chess Records; its founder, Leonard Chess; and the turbulent lives of some of the label's legends, who included Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf and Chuck Berry.
Martin (Their Eyes Were Watching God) penned the screenplay. Sony BMG's Andrew Lack and Sofia Sondervan are producing for the 3-year-old specialty label.
Knowles joins a cast that includes Adrien Brody (Chess), Jeffrey Wright (Waters), Cedric the Entertainer (Willie Dixon) and Columbus Short (Little Walter). Emmanuelle Chriqui and Tammy Blanchard co-star.
Music for the film is being produced by Steve Jordan (Cars, The Sopranos). Knowles will record four songs for the soundtrack, which will be released through Music World Entertainment and Columbia Records.
The singer-actress will donate a portion of her fees for the film to recovering addicts through her family's charity, the Survivor Foundation, according to her reps.
- 2/20/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Matt Dillon has the blues.
The You, Me and Dupree star is in final negotiations to play Leonard Chess, the legendary founder of the South Side Chicago blues label Chess Records, in Sony/BMG Film's Cadillac Records.
Darnell Martin (Their Eyes Were Watching God) penned the script and is directing. Sony/BMG's Sofia Sondervan and Andrew Lack are producing.
The period piece follows the rise and fall of Chess Records, which launched the careers of such R&B greats as Muddy Waters, Etta James and Chuck Berry. Chess, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, scoured the South, checking out the various blues scenes and selling records from the back of his Cadillac.
Filming is set to begin in January in New Jersey and Chicago.
Dillon's other upcoming projects include Nothing but the Truth, with Kate Beckinsale, Vera Farmiga and Angela Bassett, and Old Dogs, with Robin Williams and John Travolta.
Dillon is repped by CAA and Vic Ramos Management.
The You, Me and Dupree star is in final negotiations to play Leonard Chess, the legendary founder of the South Side Chicago blues label Chess Records, in Sony/BMG Film's Cadillac Records.
Darnell Martin (Their Eyes Were Watching God) penned the script and is directing. Sony/BMG's Sofia Sondervan and Andrew Lack are producing.
The period piece follows the rise and fall of Chess Records, which launched the careers of such R&B greats as Muddy Waters, Etta James and Chuck Berry. Chess, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, scoured the South, checking out the various blues scenes and selling records from the back of his Cadillac.
Filming is set to begin in January in New Jersey and Chicago.
Dillon's other upcoming projects include Nothing but the Truth, with Kate Beckinsale, Vera Farmiga and Angela Bassett, and Old Dogs, with Robin Williams and John Travolta.
Dillon is repped by CAA and Vic Ramos Management.
- 10/15/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- The genres may change, but the cliches of the inspirational music film remain the same as demonstrated by this first feature effort devoted to increasingly popular blending of Caribbean, Latin and hip-hop rhythms known as reggaeton.
This tale of a Harlem rapper who finds in Puerto Rico creative fulfillment, true love and the father he never knew he had strikes endlessly familiar notes but in an innocuous and entertaining manner that should please younger audiences and sell plenty of soundtrack albums.
R&B star Omarion Grandberry, formerly of the boy band B2K and usually known by just his first name, plays Rob, an aspiring rapper who is sent by his mother to Puerto Rico after he runs afoul of a local gang. His long-lost father Roberto (Giancarlo Esposito), along with his kindly wife (Kellita Smith) and stepson Javi (Victor Rasuk), welcome him into their home.
Javi, an online DJ, soon introduces Rob to the ways of reggaeton, providing a musical lesson both to him and whichever audience members might still not be hip to it. Besides describing it in musical terms, he explains, "It's like music from the ghetto. It's about our struggles, our dreams."
It isn't long before he and Rob are making music together, even if the latter finds it hard adjusting to the music's faster rhythms. But he gradually gets the idea, even incorporating the sound of a bird's cries into one of their songs.
Along the way, Rob and his father, a former musician himself, form a growing bond, and he also falls in love with C.C. (Zulay Henao), a beautiful dancer. When she meets a vacationing record company executive (James McCaffrey), he invites all three to come to New York to work for him, though his well-trimmed beard provides a clue that his motives, at least when it comes to C.C., aren't entirely altruistic.
A melodramatic subplot, involving C.C.'s violently jealous ex-boyfriend who doesn't take kindly to losing her, is handled in hurried, perfunctory fashion. Other story elements feel rushed as well, suggesting some shortening in the editing process.
Featuring dialogue both overly expository ("We're the oldest colony in the world," we are helpfully informed about Puerto Rico) and flowery ("This is not how dreams come true," Rob cries when the nasty American record company producer tries to mess with their music), no one will mistake director Alejandro Chomski's Feel the Noise for great drama. But there's an undeniable sweetness to the characters, the performers are highly appealing, and the music sizzles. The soundtrack features many stars of the genre, including Voltio, Alexis y Fido and Tego Calderon.
FEEL THE NOISE
TriStar Pictures
Sony BMG Film
in association with Nuyorican Prods.
Credits:
Director: Alejandro Chomski
Screenwriter: Albert Leon
Producers: Sofia Sondervan, Jennifer Lopez, Simon Fields
Executive producer: Andrew Lack
Director of photography: Zoran Popovic
Production designer: Monica Monserrate
Music: Andres Levin
Editor: Bill Pankow
Cast:
Rob: Omarion Grandberry
C.C.: Zulay Henao
James McCaffrey: Jeffrey Skylar
Tanya: Kellita Smith
The Mayor: Malik Yoba
Mimi: Melonie Diaz
Javi: Victor Rasuk
Roberto: Giancarlo Esposito
Running time -- 86 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
This tale of a Harlem rapper who finds in Puerto Rico creative fulfillment, true love and the father he never knew he had strikes endlessly familiar notes but in an innocuous and entertaining manner that should please younger audiences and sell plenty of soundtrack albums.
R&B star Omarion Grandberry, formerly of the boy band B2K and usually known by just his first name, plays Rob, an aspiring rapper who is sent by his mother to Puerto Rico after he runs afoul of a local gang. His long-lost father Roberto (Giancarlo Esposito), along with his kindly wife (Kellita Smith) and stepson Javi (Victor Rasuk), welcome him into their home.
Javi, an online DJ, soon introduces Rob to the ways of reggaeton, providing a musical lesson both to him and whichever audience members might still not be hip to it. Besides describing it in musical terms, he explains, "It's like music from the ghetto. It's about our struggles, our dreams."
It isn't long before he and Rob are making music together, even if the latter finds it hard adjusting to the music's faster rhythms. But he gradually gets the idea, even incorporating the sound of a bird's cries into one of their songs.
Along the way, Rob and his father, a former musician himself, form a growing bond, and he also falls in love with C.C. (Zulay Henao), a beautiful dancer. When she meets a vacationing record company executive (James McCaffrey), he invites all three to come to New York to work for him, though his well-trimmed beard provides a clue that his motives, at least when it comes to C.C., aren't entirely altruistic.
A melodramatic subplot, involving C.C.'s violently jealous ex-boyfriend who doesn't take kindly to losing her, is handled in hurried, perfunctory fashion. Other story elements feel rushed as well, suggesting some shortening in the editing process.
Featuring dialogue both overly expository ("We're the oldest colony in the world," we are helpfully informed about Puerto Rico) and flowery ("This is not how dreams come true," Rob cries when the nasty American record company producer tries to mess with their music), no one will mistake director Alejandro Chomski's Feel the Noise for great drama. But there's an undeniable sweetness to the characters, the performers are highly appealing, and the music sizzles. The soundtrack features many stars of the genre, including Voltio, Alexis y Fido and Tego Calderon.
FEEL THE NOISE
TriStar Pictures
Sony BMG Film
in association with Nuyorican Prods.
Credits:
Director: Alejandro Chomski
Screenwriter: Albert Leon
Producers: Sofia Sondervan, Jennifer Lopez, Simon Fields
Executive producer: Andrew Lack
Director of photography: Zoran Popovic
Production designer: Monica Monserrate
Music: Andres Levin
Editor: Bill Pankow
Cast:
Rob: Omarion Grandberry
C.C.: Zulay Henao
James McCaffrey: Jeffrey Skylar
Tanya: Kellita Smith
The Mayor: Malik Yoba
Mimi: Melonie Diaz
Javi: Victor Rasuk
Roberto: Giancarlo Esposito
Running time -- 86 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 10/8/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Darnell Martin is set to helm Cadillac Records, which is being produced by Sofia Sondervan and Andrew Lack for Sony BMG Film. It will begin production this year in Chicago.
The film, which Martin (Their Eyes Were Watching God) also wrote, follows the lifestyles of some of America's most prolific musical icons in 1950s Chicago, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf and Elvis Presley.
Casting is under way, and Sony BMG anticipates landing some of its artists in the film's lead roles.
"We are thrilled to be working with Darnell Martin," said Sondervan, senior vp feature films at Sony BMG. "Her unique vision and sensitivity towards the subject matter have made her the perfect writer and director for this project."...
The film, which Martin (Their Eyes Were Watching God) also wrote, follows the lifestyles of some of America's most prolific musical icons in 1950s Chicago, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf and Elvis Presley.
Casting is under way, and Sony BMG anticipates landing some of its artists in the film's lead roles.
"We are thrilled to be working with Darnell Martin," said Sondervan, senior vp feature films at Sony BMG. "Her unique vision and sensitivity towards the subject matter have made her the perfect writer and director for this project."...
- 5/31/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- The beautiful mind of self-taught mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan Iyengar is coming to the big screen. Edward R. Pressman Film Corp. has acquired rights to Robert Kanigel's 1991 biography The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan. Screenwriter-director Matthew Brown is set to start production on the film in the fall. It centers on the math prodigy's journey from the slums of Madras, India, to Cambridge University during World War I. During his studies, Ramanujan pioneered advanced mathematical theories with the guidance of his eccentric professor, G.H. Hardy. Edward Pressman, Sofia Sondervan and Animus Films' Jim Young are producing the feature, which is in competition with another just-announced Ramanujan film in development. Actor and Cambridge graduate Stephen Fry plans to co-direct and write a Ramanujan biopic with Indian helmer Dev Benegal, which is tentatively set for production next year.
- 3/29/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sony BMG Music Entertainment has acquired the rights to Reggaeton, an original screenplay by Albert Lyon. The project will be produced by Sony BMG in conjunction with Jennifer Lopez's Nuyorican Prods. through Sony BMG Film. The feature will be the first produced by the music company's film division. Sony BMG Film was established in the summer with the appointment of Sofia Sondervan as senior vp feature films. Reggaeton will be produced by Lopez and Simon Fields for Nuyorican and by Sondervan. Nuyorican head of development Janet Sales brought the project to Sony BMG Film. The deal was negotiated by Andrew Ross on behalf of Sony BMG, Bob Wallerstein for Nuyorican and Matt Leipzig and Jordan Bayer at Original Artists for Leon.
- 1/23/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Laura Harring has found her way to Texas to replace Daryl Hannah in James Marsh's The King for Ed Pressman and John Schmidt's ContentFilm. Shooting is under way with Harring starring alongside Gael Garcia Bernal, Sam Shepard and Paul Dano. The story centers on 21-year-old just out of the Navy (Bernal) who tracks down the father he never knew (Shepard) only to find him as a pastor of a thriving Baptist church in Corpus Christi, Texas. With a beautiful wife (Harring) and two perfect kids, the pastor wants nothing to do with his lost son. Sources said Hannah exited the project because of scheduling conflicts. ContentFilm is financing the drama, with Marsh helming from a script by Milo Addica and Marsh. Addica also is producing with ContentFilm's Pressman and Schmidt. Sofia Sondervan is executive producing along with James Wilson. Harring, best known for her work in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, is repped by Writers & Artists Group International and Leverage Management. She was most recently seen opposite John Travolta in Lions Gate Films' The Punisher for helmer Jonathan Hensleigh.
First Run Features
NEW YORK -- Formulaic plot elements don't greatly hamper the impact of this French charmer about the relationship that develops between an elderly widower and the 8-year-old neighbor girl whose mother neglects her. Michel Serrault's typically expert performance and writer-director Philippe Muyl's ability to avoid the usual cliches in his execution of the tale give "The Butterfly" an undeniable appeal. Perfect holiday entertainment, albeit for those Small Fry who can read English subtitles, the film opened Friday at New York's Cinema Village.
Julien (Serrault) is an elderly entomologist living alone in his spacious apartment with only his cat and extensive butterfly collection for company. His next door neighbors are 8-year-old Elsa (Claire Bouanich) and her mother, Isabelle (Nade Dieu), the latter a single working mom who has little time for her little girl. When Julien sets out on a country excursion in search of an elusive butterfly whose life span is only a few days and who appears only one week out of the year, Elsa, as children in these sorts of movies are likely to do, hides out in his car. By the time the flustered Julien realizes that he has a stowaway, he's too far away to turn around and so reluctantly agrees to let her tag along. With Julien's cell phone not working, the inevitable complications ensue, with the police searching for the missing girl even as she learns life lessons from her gruff companion.
While it seems reminiscent of countless earlier efforts featuring the same themes, "Butterfly" manages to find fresh dimensions thanks to its smart and frequently amusing screenplay, its multidimensional characterizations and its refreshing lack of sentimentality. Julien is not the standard grumpy senior, Elsa is far less cutesy than the usual movie moppet, and the relationship that develops between the two has a genuineness of feeling that is ultimately quite moving. chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
NEW YORK -- Formulaic plot elements don't greatly hamper the impact of this French charmer about the relationship that develops between an elderly widower and the 8-year-old neighbor girl whose mother neglects her. Michel Serrault's typically expert performance and writer-director Philippe Muyl's ability to avoid the usual cliches in his execution of the tale give "The Butterfly" an undeniable appeal. Perfect holiday entertainment, albeit for those Small Fry who can read English subtitles, the film opened Friday at New York's Cinema Village.
Julien (Serrault) is an elderly entomologist living alone in his spacious apartment with only his cat and extensive butterfly collection for company. His next door neighbors are 8-year-old Elsa (Claire Bouanich) and her mother, Isabelle (Nade Dieu), the latter a single working mom who has little time for her little girl. When Julien sets out on a country excursion in search of an elusive butterfly whose life span is only a few days and who appears only one week out of the year, Elsa, as children in these sorts of movies are likely to do, hides out in his car. By the time the flustered Julien realizes that he has a stowaway, he's too far away to turn around and so reluctantly agrees to let her tag along. With Julien's cell phone not working, the inevitable complications ensue, with the police searching for the missing girl even as she learns life lessons from her gruff companion.
While it seems reminiscent of countless earlier efforts featuring the same themes, "Butterfly" manages to find fresh dimensions thanks to its smart and frequently amusing screenplay, its multidimensional characterizations and its refreshing lack of sentimentality. Julien is not the standard grumpy senior, Elsa is far less cutesy than the usual movie moppet, and the relationship that develops between the two has a genuineness of feeling that is ultimately quite moving. chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Opens
Friday, Dec. 19 (New York and Los Angeles)
"The Hebrew Hammer" is a crass, sophomoric and, more to the point, offensively unfunny parody that sets out to remake Shaft and his blaxploitation ilk as a Jewish action hero.
Clearly influenced by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedy cannon, not to mention early Mel Brooks, writer-director Jonathan Kesselman has stretched his original film school short into a very thin feature following the exploits of Mordechai Jefferson Carver, "the baddest hebe this side of Tel Aviv" who must prevent Santa's evil son from destroying Hanukkah.
Strand Releasing, which obviously sees some kind of "Bad Santa"-style counter-programming potential ("Hammer" has already aired on Comedy Central), is opening the film this weekend in Los Angeles and New York, but you don't have to be Jewish to be put off by Kesselman's relentless milking of tired Borscht Belt-era stereotypes.
Distilling his performance into a fine whine, Adam Goldberg is the Hebrew Hammer in question -- an erstwhile private investigator or, as his office door reads, "Certified Circumcised Dick", who has been recruited by Jewish Justice League chief Bloomenbergansteinthal (Peter Coyote struggling with a painful Yiddish accent) to prevent the sinister Damian Claus (Andy Dick) from destroying Hanukkah by any means necessary.
Assisted by Bloomenbergansteinthal's daughter Esther (Judy Greer) and the head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front Mario Van Peebles), the Hebrew Hammer ultimately gets the job done, no thanks to his guilt-dispensing mother (Nora Dunn).
Kesselman probably bust a gut writing this stuff, but more than a few minutes of the one-gag material quickly begins to grate.
By the time former New York mayor Ed Koch shows up, bound helplessly in a chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Friday, Dec. 19 (New York and Los Angeles)
"The Hebrew Hammer" is a crass, sophomoric and, more to the point, offensively unfunny parody that sets out to remake Shaft and his blaxploitation ilk as a Jewish action hero.
Clearly influenced by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedy cannon, not to mention early Mel Brooks, writer-director Jonathan Kesselman has stretched his original film school short into a very thin feature following the exploits of Mordechai Jefferson Carver, "the baddest hebe this side of Tel Aviv" who must prevent Santa's evil son from destroying Hanukkah.
Strand Releasing, which obviously sees some kind of "Bad Santa"-style counter-programming potential ("Hammer" has already aired on Comedy Central), is opening the film this weekend in Los Angeles and New York, but you don't have to be Jewish to be put off by Kesselman's relentless milking of tired Borscht Belt-era stereotypes.
Distilling his performance into a fine whine, Adam Goldberg is the Hebrew Hammer in question -- an erstwhile private investigator or, as his office door reads, "Certified Circumcised Dick", who has been recruited by Jewish Justice League chief Bloomenbergansteinthal (Peter Coyote struggling with a painful Yiddish accent) to prevent the sinister Damian Claus (Andy Dick) from destroying Hanukkah by any means necessary.
Assisted by Bloomenbergansteinthal's daughter Esther (Judy Greer) and the head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front Mario Van Peebles), the Hebrew Hammer ultimately gets the job done, no thanks to his guilt-dispensing mother (Nora Dunn).
Kesselman probably bust a gut writing this stuff, but more than a few minutes of the one-gag material quickly begins to grate.
By the time former New York mayor Ed Koch shows up, bound helplessly in a chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Daryl Hannah and Paul Dano are near deals that will see them team with Gael Garcia Bernal and Sam Shepard in James Marsh's The King for Ed Pressman and John Schmidt's ContentFilm. Production is scheduled to start in March in Texas. ContentFilm is financing the drama, with Marsh helming from a script by Oscar-nominated writer Milo Addica (Monster's Ball) and Marsh. Addica also is producing with ContentFilm's Pressman, Schmidt; Sofia Sondervan is executive producing along with James Wilson.
- 1/30/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
First Run Features
NEW YORK -- Formulaic plot elements don't greatly hamper the impact of this French charmer about the relationship that develops between an elderly widower and the 8-year-old neighbor girl whose mother neglects her. Michel Serrault's typically expert performance and writer-director Philippe Muyl's ability to avoid the usual cliches in his execution of the tale give "The Butterfly" an undeniable appeal. Perfect holiday entertainment, albeit for those Small Fry who can read English subtitles, the film opened Friday at New York's Cinema Village.
Julien (Serrault) is an elderly entomologist living alone in his spacious apartment with only his cat and extensive butterfly collection for company. His next door neighbors are 8-year-old Elsa (Claire Bouanich) and her mother, Isabelle (Nade Dieu), the latter a single working mom who has little time for her little girl. When Julien sets out on a country excursion in search of an elusive butterfly whose life span is only a few days and who appears only one week out of the year, Elsa, as children in these sorts of movies are likely to do, hides out in his car. By the time the flustered Julien realizes that he has a stowaway, he's too far away to turn around and so reluctantly agrees to let her tag along. With Julien's cell phone not working, the inevitable complications ensue, with the police searching for the missing girl even as she learns life lessons from her gruff companion.
While it seems reminiscent of countless earlier efforts featuring the same themes, "Butterfly" manages to find fresh dimensions thanks to its smart and frequently amusing screenplay, its multidimensional characterizations and its refreshing lack of sentimentality. Julien is not the standard grumpy senior, Elsa is far less cutesy than the usual movie moppet, and the relationship that develops between the two has a genuineness of feeling that is ultimately quite moving. chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
NEW YORK -- Formulaic plot elements don't greatly hamper the impact of this French charmer about the relationship that develops between an elderly widower and the 8-year-old neighbor girl whose mother neglects her. Michel Serrault's typically expert performance and writer-director Philippe Muyl's ability to avoid the usual cliches in his execution of the tale give "The Butterfly" an undeniable appeal. Perfect holiday entertainment, albeit for those Small Fry who can read English subtitles, the film opened Friday at New York's Cinema Village.
Julien (Serrault) is an elderly entomologist living alone in his spacious apartment with only his cat and extensive butterfly collection for company. His next door neighbors are 8-year-old Elsa (Claire Bouanich) and her mother, Isabelle (Nade Dieu), the latter a single working mom who has little time for her little girl. When Julien sets out on a country excursion in search of an elusive butterfly whose life span is only a few days and who appears only one week out of the year, Elsa, as children in these sorts of movies are likely to do, hides out in his car. By the time the flustered Julien realizes that he has a stowaway, he's too far away to turn around and so reluctantly agrees to let her tag along. With Julien's cell phone not working, the inevitable complications ensue, with the police searching for the missing girl even as she learns life lessons from her gruff companion.
While it seems reminiscent of countless earlier efforts featuring the same themes, "Butterfly" manages to find fresh dimensions thanks to its smart and frequently amusing screenplay, its multidimensional characterizations and its refreshing lack of sentimentality. Julien is not the standard grumpy senior, Elsa is far less cutesy than the usual movie moppet, and the relationship that develops between the two has a genuineness of feeling that is ultimately quite moving. chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 12/23/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Opens
Friday, Dec. 19 (New York and Los Angeles)
"The Hebrew Hammer" is a crass, sophomoric and, more to the point, offensively unfunny parody that sets out to remake Shaft and his blaxploitation ilk as a Jewish action hero.
Clearly influenced by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedy cannon, not to mention early Mel Brooks, writer-director Jonathan Kesselman has stretched his original film school short into a very thin feature following the exploits of Mordechai Jefferson Carver, "the baddest hebe this side of Tel Aviv" who must prevent Santa's evil son from destroying Hanukkah.
Strand Releasing, which obviously sees some kind of "Bad Santa"-style counter-programming potential ("Hammer" has already aired on Comedy Central), is opening the film this weekend in Los Angeles and New York, but you don't have to be Jewish to be put off by Kesselman's relentless milking of tired Borscht Belt-era stereotypes.
Distilling his performance into a fine whine, Adam Goldberg is the Hebrew Hammer in question -- an erstwhile private investigator or, as his office door reads, "Certified Circumcised Dick", who has been recruited by Jewish Justice League chief Bloomenbergansteinthal (Peter Coyote struggling with a painful Yiddish accent) to prevent the sinister Damian Claus (Andy Dick) from destroying Hanukkah by any means necessary.
Assisted by Bloomenbergansteinthal's daughter Esther (Judy Greer) and the head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front Mario Van Peebles), the Hebrew Hammer ultimately gets the job done, no thanks to his guilt-dispensing mother (Nora Dunn).
Kesselman probably bust a gut writing this stuff, but more than a few minutes of the one-gag material quickly begins to grate.
By the time former New York mayor Ed Koch shows up, bound helplessly in a chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Friday, Dec. 19 (New York and Los Angeles)
"The Hebrew Hammer" is a crass, sophomoric and, more to the point, offensively unfunny parody that sets out to remake Shaft and his blaxploitation ilk as a Jewish action hero.
Clearly influenced by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedy cannon, not to mention early Mel Brooks, writer-director Jonathan Kesselman has stretched his original film school short into a very thin feature following the exploits of Mordechai Jefferson Carver, "the baddest hebe this side of Tel Aviv" who must prevent Santa's evil son from destroying Hanukkah.
Strand Releasing, which obviously sees some kind of "Bad Santa"-style counter-programming potential ("Hammer" has already aired on Comedy Central), is opening the film this weekend in Los Angeles and New York, but you don't have to be Jewish to be put off by Kesselman's relentless milking of tired Borscht Belt-era stereotypes.
Distilling his performance into a fine whine, Adam Goldberg is the Hebrew Hammer in question -- an erstwhile private investigator or, as his office door reads, "Certified Circumcised Dick", who has been recruited by Jewish Justice League chief Bloomenbergansteinthal (Peter Coyote struggling with a painful Yiddish accent) to prevent the sinister Damian Claus (Andy Dick) from destroying Hanukkah by any means necessary.
Assisted by Bloomenbergansteinthal's daughter Esther (Judy Greer) and the head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front Mario Van Peebles), the Hebrew Hammer ultimately gets the job done, no thanks to his guilt-dispensing mother (Nora Dunn).
Kesselman probably bust a gut writing this stuff, but more than a few minutes of the one-gag material quickly begins to grate.
By the time former New York mayor Ed Koch shows up, bound helplessly in a chair as one of Damian's intended victims, the viewer can certainly sympathize.
The Hebrew Hammer
Strand Releasing
A Strand Releasing and ContentFilm presentation
A film by Jonathan Kesselman
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Jonathan Kesselman
Producers: Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner
Executive producers: Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt
Director of photography: Kurt Brabbee
Production designer: Cabot McMullan
Editor: Dean Holland
Costume designers: Alysia Raycraft, Michelle Phillips
Music: Michael Cohen
Cast:
Mordechai Jefferson Carver: Adam Goldberg
Esther: Judy Greer
Santa Damian: Andy Dick
Mohammed: Mario Van Peebles
J.J.L. Chief: Peter Coyote
Tiny Tim: Sean Whalen
Jamal: Tony Cox
Mrs. Carver: Nora Dunn
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA rating: R Frame 312
Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company
Credits:
Playwright: Keith Reddin
Director: Karen Kohlhaas
Set designer: Walt Spangler
Costume designer: Mimi O'Donnell
Lighting designer: Robert Perry
Sound designer: Scott Myers
Cast:
Lynette (1990s): Mary Beth Peil
Stephanie: Elizabeth Hanly Rice
Tom/Roy/Agent Barry/Conductor: Greg Stuhr
Margie/Marie/Doris: Maggie Kiley
Graham: Larry Bryggman
Lynette (1960s): Mandy Siegfriedcers: Marc Platt, Andre Harrell
Executive producer: Billy Higgins
Director of photography: John R. Leonetti
Production designer: Jasna Stefanovich
Music: Mervyn Warren
Costume designer: Susan Matheson
Editors: Mark Helfrich, Emma E. Hickox
Cast:
Honey Daniels: Jessica Alba
Chaz: Mekhi Phifer
Benny: Lil' Romeo
Gina: Joy Bryant
Michael Ellis: David Moscow
Mrs. Daniels: Lonette McKee
Raymond: Zachary Isaiah Williams
Katrina: Laurie Ann Gibson
As themselves: Missy Elliott, Jadakiss & Sheek, Shawn Desman, Ginuwine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Rodney Jerkins, Silkk, 3rd Storee, Tweet
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13>Emma: Dina Waters
Michael: Marc John Jefferies
Megan: Aree Davis
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 12/19/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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